Happy Diwali, and a very confusing question

Happy Diwali, everyone! This year we’re spending the festival at home in Punjab, and the first thing we had to settle on the way there was a surprisingly serious question: is it her sasural or his maayka?

The way we see it, Punjab is my wife’s sasural and my maayka, so it’s technically my home. She had her own take on that, and it turned into a playful back-and-forth about whose home it really is. If you’ve ever had that argument with your partner, you know exactly how it goes.

Why this Diwali is different

Last year, the two of us celebrated Diwali alone. We simply couldn’t get leave from our jobs, so it was a quiet one, just us and a few diyas.

This time everything finally fell into place, and we were on our way home to be with family. We showed you her home in Assam earlier. Now it’s Punjab’s turn, and you get to see what a Punjabi sasural looks like.

The road from Chandigarh to Muktsar

Whenever we drive home, there is only one hotel we can rely on for a break between Chandigarh and Muktsar. That’s where we stop for coffee, stretch our legs, and get a breather before the rest of the drive.

The stretch also gave my wife a flashback. The trees on both sides of the road reminded her of the road near Kaziranga in Assam. Different place, of course, but a similar vibe.

Shopping for Diwali crackers on Bathinda Road

By 8 pm, we were out buying crackers. We went to the Bathinda Road market in Muktsar, where the shops run in a line and every one of them is packed with fireworks.

My younger brother helped us pick, and we went from shop to shop. Reading the cracker names out loud turned into our entertainment. Here’s what we found:

• Cinderella: the name on the pack was misspelled, and my wife caught it immediately.
• Humpty Dumpty: we checked whether it ends with a bang. It doesn’t, it only sparkles.
• Oreo Anar: an anar you can hold in your hand while it runs, not just place on the floor.
• Ravan Sword: the name alone was enough to sell it.
• Butterfly: the first name that was spelled correctly.
• Classic Dynamite: a clear “not for you” the moment we saw it.

We asked questions at every counter: does this one burst, does it only sparkle, is it a pencil-type, what colour comes out first? Honestly, half the joy of Muktsar’s market is the names. They are bold, a little funny, and occasionally misspelled.

What’s next

We picked up plenty of crackers, and we’ll light them tomorrow. We’re also heading to the Gurudwara for Diwali.

Part 2 is coming soon: the Gurudwara visit, the celebration at home, and the crackers in action. Subscribe so you don’t miss it.

Tell us

What’s the funniest cracker name you’ve ever seen? Drop it in the comments on the video. We read every one.

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We’re Yeh Safar Hamara Hai, a couple documenting our journey between Assam and Punjab.